Account-file.



W. BARR, JR. ACCOUNT FILE. 2 APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. 1909.

Patented June 27,1911.

,2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

- WITNESES INVENTOR.

W. BARR, JR. ACCOUNT FILE.

APPLICATION 11.21) AUG.14. 1909.

Patlitd June 27, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

WILSON BARR, JR., 0F HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ACCOUNT-FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Application filed August 14, 1909. Serial N 0. 512,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILSON BARR, Jr., of the city of Hamilton, in theProvince of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Account-Files, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to files in which account slips are filed onstiff leaves suitably supported so that any given leaf is immediatelyaccessible. In designing such a file I have two main objects in view,first that each leaf when being used shall occupy exactly the sameposition as any other leaf when said other leaf is in use; and second,that there shall be no sliding movement of one leaf or another tendingto dislodge or spoil the accounts. The usual objects of cheapness anddurability of construction, and reliability of action are of course alsosought.

I attain my objects by the constructions hereinafter particularlydescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a perspective view of my improved account file. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of theapparatus showing a bunch of leaves being turned from the vertical tothe horizontal position. Fig. 4 is a plan view of part of the apparatusshowing the vertical leaves in section. Fig. 5 is a vertical section online w-,y, Fig. 3, of part of the apparatus showing the horizontaltracks and part of the vertical leaf. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3with the leaves removed.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin the different figures. I

A is the casing preferably of L shown.

B are a series of account filing leaves which are of ordinaryconstruction and are provided with the account holding clips C. Theseleaves are pivotally connected at their lower or rearward edges by meansof shape as the hinges a so that one or more of the said leaves mayoccupy either a substantially vertical or a substantially horizontalposition. I aim particularly in the present invention to so arrange theapparatus that when any leaf occupies the position at the front of thevertical leaves or at the top of the horizontal leaves that it willoccupy substantially the same position as any other leaves under likecircumstances. I accomplish this by arranging it that the leaves, whenin a vertical position, are restricted substantially to a backward orforward movement and when horizontal are restricted substantially to avertical movement, the guiding means being so arranged that one or moreof the leaves may be turned freely from the vertical to the horizontalposi tion, or vice versa.

To guide the leaves when vertical I provide the pair of tracks D which,though approximately horizontal, will usually incline somewhat towardthe rear to give the leaves a slight rearward inclination. The tracks Dare engaged by the projections E which are preferably rollers journaledon the last leaf F. The leaves when in their horizontal position areguided by the substantially vertical tracks G and H which are locatedadj acent to the forward ends of the tracks D.

I is a movable table being normally vertically spring pressed, ashereinafter described, and provided with projections L, preferablyrollers, which run in the guide way formed by the tracks G and H.Theoretically this table may be considered as the first leaf. It will benoted that the vertical pressure of the table tends to push up the frontvertical leaf. This tendency is restrained by the use of a pair oftracks J close to and substantially parallel to the tracks D. Thesetracks are engaged by the projections Z) located at the hinged edge ofeach intermediate leaf.

It will be noted that the tracks J and H extend inwardly closer to'theleaves than the tracks D and G. The projections E and L on the lastleaf and the table are longer than the projections b on the intermediateleaves, consequently the project-ions E may engage both tracks D and J,and the projections L both tracks G and H, while the projections bengage only the tracks J and H. Consequently when a bunch of leaves isturned from the vertical t0 the horizontal posit-ion or vice versa, asindicated in Fig. 3, the projections b will clear the tracks D and G,and thus do not interfere with the movement of the leaves. They are,however, by their engagement with the tracks J and H effective inpreventing upward displacement of the leaves when vertical, or a forwarddisplacement of the leaves when horizontal- While any suitable means maybe provided for yieldingly supporting the table I, yet I prefer themechanism shown.

A pair of bent levers N are journaled on the sides of the casing and areconnected by the cross bar 0. A coil spring 0 connected to one end ofthis lever and to the casing presses the cross bar up against the underside of the table. A second pair of bent levers P are pivoted on thesides of the easing and are connected by a cross bar (Z engaging theunder side of the table I at the opposite end to the cross bar 0. Thesebent levers P are connected with the bent levers N by means of the linksQ, whereby they move together and impart a similar movement to each ofthe cross bars 0 and (Z. From this construction it follows that as eachleaf is turned down from a vertical to a horizontal position that thetable is depressed the thickness of one leaf, the next vertical leafgoing forward to the position formerly occupied by the leaf just turneddown. It follows then that when either side of a leaf is exposed theexposed side occupies the same position as the similarly exposed side ofevery other leaf in the file.

In order that the whole bunch of. leaves may be withdrawn from the fileI preferably hinge the upper track J at f and provide each track withalever B fulcrumed on the side of the gap provided with a pin 9 engaginga slot hin the track. By operating this lever B the track may be eitherlocked down or else raised, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. When thetracks J are thus lifted out of the way, the whole bunch of leaves maybe readily withdrawn as all the projections on the leaves will then passout through the gap thus formed where the horizontal and vertical tracksmeet.

It will be seen that the essential principle underlying this inventionlies in connecting the leaves so that one or more of them may occupyeither a substantially vertical or a substantially horizontal positionand in so guiding the leaves that when vertical they are restricted to asubstantially horizontal movement and when horizontal to a substantiallyvertical movement, the guiding means being adapted to permit of theleaves being swung in a vertical position to the horizontal, and viceversa. Consequently various modifications of the details of constructionmight be made which would still fall within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as my inventionv is 1. In an account file the combinationof a plurality of account holding leaves pivotally connected at theirlower edges whereby one or more of said leaves may occupy either asubstantially vertical or a substantially horizontal position; guidingmeans adapted to restrict the leaves substantially to a backward orforward movement only when they are substantially vertical; guidingmeans tending to restrict the leaves to a substantially verticalmovement only When they are horizontal; and yielding means tending topress the leaves upward when they are in the substantially horizontalposition; the guiding means being adapted to permit of the leaves beingswung from the vertical position to the horizontal, and vice versa.

2. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connected at their lower edges whereby one or mgre ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or asubstantially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guiding andsupporting means for the last leaf when vertical; means for preventingthe front leaf, when vertical, from moving upward; substantiallyvertical guides for the leaves when horizontal; and yielding meanstending to press the leaves upward when they are in the substantiallyhorizontal position, the guiding means being adapted to permit of theleaves being swung from the vertical position to the horizontal, andvice versa.

8. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connect-ed at their lower edges whereby one or more ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or a substan:tially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guide tracks;projections on the last leaf riding on said tracks; a secondpair oftracks substantially parallel to the first with the under side of whicheach leaf may engage; a pair of substantially vertical tracks;projections vertically movable with the first leaf adapted to engage thefor ward sides of the vertical tracks and yielding means tending topress the leaves upward when they are in the substantially horizontalposition.

4:. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connected at their lower edges whereby one or more ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or asubstantially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guidetracks; projections on the last leaf riding on said tracks; a secondpair of tracks substantially parallel to the first with the under sideof which each leaf may engage; a pair of substantially vertical tracks;projections vertically movable with the first leaf adapted to engage theforward sides of the vertical tracks; asecond pair of vertical trackssubstantially parallel to the first vertical tracks and with therearward side of which the leaves may engage when horizontal; andyielding means tending to press the leaves upward when they are in thesubstantially horizontal position.

5. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connected at their lower edges whereby one or more ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or asubstantially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guidetracks; projections at the hinge edge of the last leaf riding on saidtracks; a second pair of tracks adjacent and substantially parallel tothe first mentioned tracks and extending inwardly closer to the leavesthan said tracks; projections from the hinge edge of each intermediateleaf adapted to engage the under side of the second pair of tracks only;guiding means tending to restrict the leaves to a substantially verticalmovement only, when they are horizontal; and yielding means tending topress the leaves upward when they are in the substantially horizontalposition, the guiding means being adapted to permitof the leaves beingswung from the vertical position to the horizontal and vice versa.

6. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connected at their lower edges whereby one or more ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or asubstantially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guidetracks; projections at the hinge edge of the last leaf riding on saidtracks; a second pair of tracks adjacent and substantially parallel tothe first mentioned tracks and extending inwardly closer to the leavesthan said tracks; projections from the hinge edge of each intermediateleaf adapted to engage the under side of the second pair of tracks only;two pairs of tracks forming vertical guide ways; projections verticallymovable with the first leaf adapted to engage in said guide ways, thetracks forming said guide ways being shaped and proportioned to escapecontact with the projections on the intermediate leaves as said leavesare turned from the vertical to the horizontal position, and vice versa.

7. In an account file the combination of a plurality of account holdingleaves pivotally connected at their lower edges whereby one or more ofsaid leaves may occupy either a substantially vertical or asubstantially horizontal position; substantially horizontal guidetracks; projections at the hinge edge of the last lea-f riding on saidtracks; a second pair of tracks adjacent and substantially parallel tothe first mentioned tracks, and extending inwardly closer to the leavesthan said tracks; projections from the hinge edge of each intermediateleaf adapted to engage the under side of the second pair of tracks only;a liftable section at the forward end of each of the second pairoftracks; means for locking said sections in place; guiding means tendingto restrict the leaves to a substantially vertical movement only, whenthey are horizontal; and yielding means tending to press the leavesupward when they are in the substantially horizontal position theguiding means being adapted to permit of the leaves being swung from thevertical position to the horizontal, and vice versa.

Hamilton, this 28th day of November, 1910.

WILSON BARR, JR.

Signed in the presence of S. J. WASHINGTON, W. J. JEFFREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

